Actress

In Woodstock

Nov 29-30

Sat 5:00 with filmmakers
Sun 5:00

(USA / 2014 / Directed by Robert Greene)

*Saturday November 29th, In Person: Director Robert Greene and actress Brandy Burre

With luxurious slow-motion sequences and staging worthy of a ‘50s melodrama, Robert Greene’s celebrated new film follows Brandy Burre, an actress (HBO’s The Wire) who gave up working to start a family and decided to re-start her career years later.

With glimpses of her stint on The Wire and a funny peek at Burre sifting through paltry royalty checks while her daughter plays nearby, Actress presents a sharp contrast between the allure of the spotlight and the dull rhythms that continue once it recedes. But as she returns to work, the affirmative aspect of her careerism is juxtaposed with conventional expectations about what a woman in her late 30s is supposed to want. Pivoting on an off-screen event that feels as impactful as the drama that takes place on camera, it becomes unclear how much Brandy is sacrificing the feelings and futures of her loved ones on the altar of self-interest. Acting, in the end, is not only Brandy’s profession; it’s something that she does all the time, whether interacting with her restaurateur husband Tim, her children, or Greene’s camera. With a dramatic, affective, and polyvalent ending, Greene’s film is documentary portraiture at its finest, taking on the resonance of a densely packed short story. Unrated / 86 mins.

This project is made possible in part with public funds from NYSCA’s’ Electronic Media and Film Presentation Funds grant program, administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes (www.NYSCA.orgwww.eARTS.org).